Film Career · Camera
First Assistant Camera (Focus Puller)
Camera · IATSE Local 600
- Union
- IATSE Local 600
- Day rate
- ~$450–$1,300/day
- Experience
- 2–5 yrs
What does a First Assistant Camera do?
The 1st AC keeps the image sharp, pulling focus by distance and instinct as actors and camera move. They also build and maintain the camera package. Missing focus on the take everyone loved is the job's nightmare, which is why disciplined ACs are never out of work.
What does a First Assistant Camera make?
- Day rate roughly $450-$1,300 (Local 600 scale is about $50-$60 an hour), or about $65K-$180K a year with steady work.
- Large-format and anamorphic pulls command a premium, and episodic or feature work anchors the high end.
Film work is gig based, so crew are paid a day or weekly rate rather than a salary. These are realistic 2024-2025 ranges grounded in union rate cards and industry data; actual pay swings with budget tier, market, overtime, and reputation.
Sources & how we estimate pay
Union scale is the floor; the ranges above also reflect market day rates above scale. They are grounded in the following 2024–2025 sources:
Union rate cards & wage schedules
Official guild scale — the floor each craft is paid from.
- IATSE — 2024 Basic Agreement wage scales (PDF) ↗
- IATSE Local 600 (International Cinematographers Guild) — camera rate cards ↗
- DGA — minimum salary rate cards (director, unit production manager, assistant directors) ↗
- WGA — schedule of minimums (writers) ↗
- SAG-AFTRA — theatrical & background rate sheets (cast, stunts, background) ↗
- Teamsters Local 399 — basic feature wage rates, 2024–27 (transportation, locations, wranglers) (PDF) ↗
Government wage data
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, for the closest federal occupation.
On the job
- Pull focus on every setup, holding sharpness through movement without monitors as a crutch
- Build, configure, and maintain the camera package through the show
- Set marks, measure distances, and rehearse moves with the dolly grip and operator
- Manage lens changes, filters, and camera reports at working speed
You’ll like and be good at this job if:
Hard skills
- You can pull focus by feel and know lenses and camera builds cold
- You are exacting about marks and measurements
Soft skills
- You are calm and detail-obsessed under pressure
- You like being the reliable technician the operator depends on
Career progression
The camera ladder is strict: camera trainee or utility, then 2nd AC, then 1st AC, and for some the move to operator or DP. Many 1st ACs remain focus pullers for entire careers because top-tier pullers are rare and requested by name.
A typical path, from entry to the top of the craft. Times are rough and vary by market, luck, and how steadily the work comes.
- Production Assistant· 0-2 yrs
~$35K–$55K/yr
- Loader (2nd Assistant Camera)· 2-3 yrs
~$50K–$130K/yr
- First Assistant Camera (Focus Puller)you are here· 3-6 yrs
~$65K–$180K/yr
- Camera Operator· next step
~$50K–$200K+/yr
- Director of Photography· peak of the craft
~$60K–$400K+/yr
How do you become a First Assistant Camera?
Start as a camera PA or trainee and learn the package cold. The 2nd AC years teach marks, distances, and set discipline; focus itself is built through practice and repetition. Local 600 entry follows qualifying days, and steady work follows the first operator who trusts your sharps.
On covered productions, rates, hours, and conditions for the role are set by IATSE Local 600 contracts.
Covered by a union? The joining a film union guide explains how each one takes members.